Welcome to “Gaming Memories,” a blog series where I reminisce about my favorite video games. I will slowly but surely get to every game on the list, and speak to why each holds a special place in my heart. That not only means I’ll talk about why I think each is a great game that speaks to my tastes, but also where and how it affected me in a larger context. I hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading.

SPOILER WARNING: This blog contains spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

I’m not sure I’ve ever anticipated a video game release more than The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I was 12 years old, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was already one of my favorite and most defining video game experiences, so the thought of playing Zelda in 3D on the Nintendo 64 was pretty much the most incredible thing I could imagine. In my young mind it was poised to be the ultimate video game, the medium’s defining triumph, and one that would set the standard for years and years to come. Sound unreasonable? My expectations almost certainly were.

And yet somehow, they were largely met.

It’s hard to fully capture now, over two decades later, just how impressive Ocarina of Time was in 1998. Plenty of classic video game franchises of the 1980s and early 1990s failed to make the jump to 3D successfully, and it’s not that hard to imagine a world where Zelda failed as well. But Nintendo, as they do at their best, walked that thin line between pushing forward while still crafting a quality, polished game. First and perhaps most importantly, Ocarina of Time set the standard for not only the franchise going forward, but also 3D action-adventure games at large with its intuitive controls, context-sensitive actions, and lock-on targeting; you know, “Z-targeting.” Second, it made use of its extra dimension in gameplay-relevant ways, frequently demanding the player interact with objects and enemies on all three planes. Third, it was one of the largest, most sprawling video game worlds to date (especially on consoles), and exploring it all in 3D was surreal. It may sound like hyperbole now, but Ocarina of Time formed much of the template that 3D action-adventure games would use for years and years to come: it showed the world how 3D games could control, what kind of worlds they could have, and how the player could interact with those worlds in meaningful ways. It was among the biggest technological and creative leaps I had experienced in a game at that point, and in my 12-year-old eyes, it was nothing short of magic.

While being one of the first great 3D action-adventure games is hugely important to Ocarina of Time’s legacy, it’s just as important to recognize that it was also a great Zelda game, with all that entails. The Legend of Zelda was already one of the most celebrated video game franchises, and all of the series’ beloved qualities made the transition to 3D fully intact. The sense of adventure and discovery, which permeated every corner of its large and wondrous world. The intricate and demanding puzzle box dungeons, full of clever environments that tested your spatial awareness and ingenuity. The evocative art style and visuals that stood out in its day, and the varied and iconic soundtrack that still stands out today. The progression of fun and inventive items and tools, the endearing and sometimes silly cast of characters, and the devious enemies and bosses. Ocarina of Time was not Zelda in name only: it executed the Zelda fundamentals well, fundamentals regularly placed among gaming’s best. Had any of this been lost in the transition to 3D, it may not have been worth it. But Ocarina of Time made the transition appear effortless -- even though it was likely anything but -- and for existing Zelda fans like me it was a dream come true.

Yet while Ocarina of Time can, in some ways, be viewed primarily as a successful 3D version of A Link to the Past, it had a lot of other little touches that further gave it its own identity. A few examples: it introduced a day and night cycle to the series, made musical instruments an important staple, as well as introduced everyone’s favorite horse, Epona. But for me, it was Ocarina of Time’s bigger narrative touches that distinguished it from its predecessors the most. It fleshed out the Zelda universe with new races, new characters, and new historical lore, and told an epic tale that spanned seven years. That larger scope allowed for real shifts in both the characters who had seven years to grow, as well as the world itself, which fell dramatically into ruin under Ganon’s rule. And it was all punctuated with numerous moments that remain as memorable to me as any. Stepping out of the Temple of Time as an adult, only to witness firsthand how far the world had fallen. The surprise reveal that Sheik is Zelda, and how much she had taken matters into her own hands during Link’s absence. Even the bittersweet ending, and the realization that Link could never truly have his childhood back despite stopping Ganon and saving the day. Ocarina of Time did not have the most complicated story ever told, but it was effectively told, and it was the game that made story a substantially more prominent part of Zelda going forward.

It can be a little difficult to have a measured conversation about Ocarina of Time today, in 2020. On the one hand, while it mostly holds up, it can also feel a little dated: the overworld can feel barren, the controls can be clunky, and like most games from that early 3D era, the visuals can be rough. On the other hand, for those of us who played it in 1998, it lingers in our memories as one of the most significant landmarks in the medium’s history; there’s a reason it’s still widely considered among the best, most influential video games ever made. It’s one that still resonates with me as well, and when I think back on Ocarina of Time, I can’t help but be in awe of what they pulled off. Nintendo caught lightning in a bottle, and I'm not sure I'll ever witness a leap quite like it again.

Great blog Mitch!

I'll personally take a well told story over a complex story any day

I don't think we will ever see that kind of leap again as we saw with Mario64 and OoT, not unless something like VR takes off.

And that leap is the hardest thing to communicate to fresh to the game players. You can't "unsee" everything that's come after very easily. I'm increasingly running into teen and 20 something gamers who don't really understand why these games were so revered and I can see why.

it wasn't just a tech leap it was a massive leap in game design too as you mentioned re: Z-Targeting. It's really easy to take for granted just how many game design norms every game uses today that Zelda or Mario more or less invented or popularized. From maps, to boss fights, to collectible minigames to camera controls, plot structure etc, those 2 games basically laid the foundation for all 3d games.

I wonder if there's ever going to be a book published about the making of those 2 games. I'd love to know how Nintendo came up with these ideas.

Still my favorite Zelda, and easily the most anticipated release I remember. There's almost nothing bad about this game (unless you count technical limitations). Every once in a while I just like to bask in the general nostalgic glow of how great this game was and is.

It seems to me like a labor of love. Obviously Nintendo wanted to make money off it, and they did, but I don't detect anything cynical or calculating about it. They knew the best way to make money would be to make something they were proud of.

I think this game's Hyrule is my all-time favorite game world. It's hard to put into words exactly what makes it so special. Many, many other games since have had much bigger and more detailed worlds, but they don't seem packed with personality and heart the way this one is. Tonally, it is perfect - upbeat and innocent in a childlike way, but also with real darkness and fear. None of the characters show any real depth in the way you would expect from a modern game, but in the simple dialogue I feel a warmth and heart I don't get from say, The Witcher or Skyrim or what have you. In those kind of games, when you talk to random NPCs, they just tell you to piss off. But everything NPCs say in Ocarina puts a smile on my face. It's not designed to make you feel like you are living in a real place, with all the complexity and awfulness of society. It's a heightened, simplified reality, with real emotion nonetheless.

There's a melancholy to the whole story, but I always remember this scene with Saria. Link runs away, maybe crying - but he steps out into Hyrule field, with that amazing music playing, and you feel like now anything can happen. There's something very human here - it reminds me of my own childhood and my friends at the time that I've long since left behind as I've grown older. It's about going out into the big wide world and leaving behind everything you know. Adventure awaits. There are new friends to be made, somewhere out there. Just, don't forget about the old ones.

Well damn, now I want to play it again. When is the hd remake coming?!

I played it for the first time this year and it didn't hit. It has made me wary of Wind Waker which is also on my backlog.

Zelda: OoT is probably my most transformative game. I was in fifth grade, got the game as an Xmas present, and so did my two best friends. From Xmas to about April my life revolved around that game. It's funny to say but I feel like my skill at gaming improved so much over those months. I had sleepovers where we just tried to find heart pieces for hours. I'd read the game guide at school. My friend's mom cut out ocarinas out of wood and we painted them one afternoon. I distinctly remember beating Ganon and completing the game during a school night, crying because I was so sad that magic time would be over, then coming downstairs and trying to explain to my mom what I was feeling in a way she would understand and not knowing how.

I feel like I've been chasing that experience of playing that game ever since.

One of my all time fav games.

My favorite game of all time.

@slag: Thanks! I would also love to see a "tell all" book about those 2 games, but knowing Nintendo we may never get one, haha. I don't really blame younger players for not "getting" why OoT was (and still is) such an important game for the medium either, as I get why that's the case for them. It happens with pretty much anything, and they don't need to revere OoT to like modern games. But it does pose an interesting dynamic, and also an odd disconnect between generations in some ways, especially thinking about how people will look at the history of video games in the future. Does a game like OoT get lost to time eventually? (Pun not intended.) Probably... there are probably equally influential older games I'm not aware of because I'm too young for them too. Video games are still new enough that we still have people who have been around more or less since the beginning and have that perspective, but those days are numbered.

@wollywoo: Thanks for sharing! I agree, the world, characters, and story had a certain quality to them that's hard to describe, and struck a balance between being very unrealistic and "gamey" but also still relatable and personable. And it was still able to conjure up real emotions and feelings with a somewhat simple veneer. I think Nintendo at their best can be very artistic in that more understated way, which I think can be extremely effective in video games, and also shows a real passion (and talent) for the craft as you say :)

@shindig: Yeah... if OoT didn't work for you, I imagine Wind Waker might not as well. Unless you got into sailing and exploring the ocean (or just prefer its art style), there's a good amount of shared DNA between the 2 games.

@judoboy:Thanks for sharing! It can be hard to describe the impact and feeling of games sometimes, and OoT was definitely one of those magical experiences for me as well :)

While I acknowledge OoT as a classic, I also remember being just a little let down coming from ALTtP. I distinctly remember being offended by the very idea of Navi (I was also 12 at the time). I understand that they needed some way to communicate the new 3-D targeting system, but she was obnoxious and (I felt) against the spirit of the series. I mean, outside of targeting, who is Navi really supposed to be for? If you're a Zelda veteran, you know you are supposed to throw the bomb in the mouth of the dinosaur boss. If you are new to the series, then figuring that out is . . . kind of the point? Half of the game?

Ultimately, I thing OoT was really important and necessary to the continued survival of Zelda in a 3D era, but it's also really far down the list of Zelda games I would choose to go back to if I were to play one of them today.

@shindig I would probably stay away from Wind Waker. Personally, I adore the visual style of that game and I wish that it was one Nintendo would trot out a little more often, but, woof, the gameplay was really lackluster. The water-world concept might have been cool on the drawing board, but man was it boring and obnoxious to play through. Most of the secrets were relegated to hauling things out of the ocean, which inevitably ended up being Rupees you didn't have space in your wallet for anyway. Having to constantly use the conductor baton to change the wind was also really tedious.

All the more so because unlike Ocarina, where you could just pound out the tune as fast as you could press the buttons, you actually needed to keep time in Wind Waker. And saying the song to change the wind was written largissimo doesn't do justice to how tedious it was. In the original GameCube version of the game, the change also lasted all of about 10-15 seconds, so you had to do it constantly. I believe they changed it in the re-release so you could just point your boat and go, but still.

I feel like the watershed moment this happened was Undertale surprisingly.

or maybe more the "seminal" moment where the torch was finally passed.

but yeah, dunno if you saw that GameFAQs poll about GoAT during the height of Undertale Mania, but Undertale didn't just beat OoT, it drubbed it. Something was practically unthinkable in gaming fandom prior to that. Granted it's gameFAQs and that place loves its drama, but it did feel like a seal was breached. Their forums certainly reacted like it.

Since then we've had Breath of the Wild, which I think gives a weird sort of bridge where older and younger gamers can rally around one game , but the stranglehold OoT had as the consensus GoAT I think is gone for good.

I don't think the game ever gets totally forgotten tho even if the playable memory of it fades, it has too much cultural and historical cache and the IP is still prominent. I imagine future gamers will likely be aware of it for decades to come

Ten years ago, OoT was the consensus best game ever made. I don't know that has changed since then. It's still my favorite.